Please welcome the latest addition to our family. Weighing in at 12 pounds 5 oz he is one big baby. We are overjoyed with our new arrival but my slippers aren't.Floyd joined our family last week. He was a rescue puppy adopted from Humane Society of Boulder and was brought to Boulder as part of the PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® program. Both organizations deserve some 'crazy mad props' for getting our little guy to his forever home. So impressed with the work they do! If you would like to be inundated with cute pictures of our puppy, click the big like button below to get to my new facebook page. ...
I Will Never Worry About My Oldest…
If the economy gives completely out and jobs can still not be found when my oldest graduates from college, I still will not fear he will be penniless. He completely understands the basics of making money:Outsourcing: In 1st grade he realized that if he paid the pooper scooper service $5 to clean up after the dogs for him, he was still walking away with $5 at the end of the week for doing absolutely nothing.Supply and Demand: In middle school the principal called and asked us to shut down his 'pencil business'. On investigation it seems he bought all the 25 cent library pencils and resold them to desperate students for $1Providing a Service: Today, as a highschooler, he came home with a proud $1 earned. It was his 20% commission from feeding the winner of the twinkie eating contest to help him get the food in faster. He could sell thin mints to a Girl Scout. He is recession proof. ...
Simple Act of Bravery
Today my youngest son did something so incredibly brave that it brings tears to my eyes as I type.He cut his hair.Seems like an odd thing to call brave, I know. But through 20 something surgeries, countless nights in the hospital and more ups and downs than any person (let alone a 13 year old) should ever have to endure his hair has been something of a constant.You know the story about Samson and his hair? Well, I liken Carters hair to that. As a really young kid he would have to have it shaved for brain surgeries. And as he got older, the length of his hair sort of acted like a marker of time- time in between having his head opened up. His crazy long, beautiful curls hid so many battle scars.I hated Carters hair long. But I also knew how important is was to him. And I never, ever fought him on it. Even when I was cutting matted pieces from long stays on hospital pillows, or small dreads he would twist up when he was nervous, out.It was his thing. Whatever. As parents, we pick and choose our battles and quite frankly, this was one not worth fighting. I figured he would outgrow it.and he did....and now I am the one crying over it. Not him. He seems to be ...
Raising Service Oriented Kids
When I hear the words 'service' thoughts of high school community projects and church activities pop into my head. But service doesn't have to big to make a difference does it?It's been a tough year around here as you all know so when Carissa asked me to get involved in VolunteerSpot Summer of Service, I thought "What the heck am I going to write about? We haven't really done anything as a family this year that is post worthy". Which is why it has taken me to the actual day it was due to write this.I can't say my kids have fed the homeless or built a habitat for humanity this year. They just haven't. But do we help others? Absolutely. I just don't think of it as 'service'. We expect it of our kids.We expect our kids to help someone with their groceries, lift something heavy or hold the door for an over burdened mom. We expect them to recycle their clothes through Goodwill, give away old toys, and clean up their environment when they see trash. In essence, we expect them to be of service whenever and however they can.Maybe that is because Jesuit principle of being men and women for others pervade who my husband and I are as people, have been raised and how we raise ...
Lazy Summer Days
I live for summer. Me and the heat? Best buds!Oh summer how I have missed you! I am taking off quite a bit of time this summer, relaxing, hanging out, eating well, sitting outside soaking up some much needed vitamin D. We have been through a year of hell around here and I just want some lazy long days of nothingness and everythingness rolled into one.My promise to myself is that I will only blog from my iPad. Which is much, much harder for me than the laptop. This will force me to keep it short and sweet. I can't figure out how to caption out my photos from here. But that poor little hanging strawberry is just so sad looking.I have been kicking off the summer planting, much later this year than in the past and I am keeping all the veggies in containers. The spring just was not as good to me with time as I would have liked.Here is a sneak peek at what is going on over at my house. Hope your summer is kicking off as beautifully as mine. ...